Think of Me and Burn
by Gemmaaaaa
Summary: Clad in only one of her silken nightgowns, the evidence of the perfection she carries within her inner cradle is obvious for his eyes to look upon and admire. How is it that he gave her his passion and she gives him the most wonderful gift in return? It hardly seems fair, but he's overjoyed none the less. (Anakin's thoughts/missing moments in "Revenge of the Sith"!)
She's never looked more beautiful. The hues of orange and red from Coruscant's setting sunlight paint the apartment in a dim light yet somehow she manages to _glow._ For a moment he cannot tear his eyes away from her… Nothing in the past can compare to the radiance of her beauty right now, stiff and formal Senate robes lay shrugged off and forgotten by her side, long dark curls free and cascading down her back, none of the cosmetics she uses to enhance her looks stain her skin either. She's never needed such things, not in his eyes. The blissful smile across her lips is enough – _more_ – than enough to enhance her stunning features. But perhaps his favourite of all is her stomach, swollen and heavy with his child… Clad in only one of her silken nightgowns, the evidence of the perfection she carries within her inner cradle is obvious for his eyes to look upon and admire. How is it that he gave her his passion and she gives him the most wonderful gift in return? It hardly seems fair, but he's overjoyed none the less.

Her small hand guides his along the barely concealed swell where their child grows strong until she finds what she perceives to be the right spot and grins at him as they wait. The little one's been active today apparently, moving and kicking their mother relentlessly. It's exactly what he wants to hear… It brings hope that indeed the nightmares can be stopped before they seep into reality. The baby is well, and so is Padme. In this moment what more could he ask of the Force? He's almost ready to give up; convinced the child is content to hide from him this evening when he feels it… The pulse against his hand and the strangest wave of reassurance floods the Jedi's senses. Well indeed, the baby is more than well… It's alive, assuring him of its strength. Borne of he and Padme, it's hardly surprising but still the most wonderful sensation he's ever felt. Grateful she'd reached for his flesh hand when she began this endeavour, Anakin leans down, closer to Padme's stomach and feels it again, the light thump against his palm.

Delighted laughter falls from his lips and he _has_ to be closer still and shifts his body lower as if he'll be greeted by their darling's little face if he does so. By the Force, he can't wait to see them… Boy or girl, he'd give anything to hold them in his own arms this very moment. It strikes him, that for the first time he'll be more than a role model, more than a teacher… And he is glad of the change. Of course he loved Ahsoka to his bones – still does – but such thoughts are for a different time. His love is reserved for his growing family in this moment. Kicking against his palm is his _baby_ … A child created from the love he and Padme share. His greatest accomplishment in this life no matter the great destiny foretold before his own birth. What could possibly be better than gazing down into the face of their child being cradled by his wife and knowing his part in the creation of the little bundle of perfection… His part in the existence of something so _pure_ in essence, so perfect in nature. Love… It is not mere love he feels growing by the moment for the little one, love is too common a word, too easily used by every other being across the Galaxy. What he feels for his child is… Something more. It's elemental, Galaxy shifting, something more natural than he's ever felt before. Padme feels it too, he's sensed it from the moment she gave him the news. However such knowledge is reinforced each time he catches her rubbing her stomach, or whispering quietly to the baby when she thinks he isn't looking. He sees it in the way she's planning a life for them, together, far away in the bliss of Naboo.

Perhaps he shouldn't, but after another kick, he reaches out through the Force, sending a wave of love as best he can for the baby. Will they feel it? Any child of his shall surely be Force Sensitive, that's to be expected… He prays they feel the love he bears them already. Inspired and more than a little curious he reaches out a little more, the gentle probe… Padme would smack him away if she knew what he is trying to do, but regardless he continues anyway. Boy or girl… Suddenly he's filled with an irresistible urge to know what she carries. However there is no true answer waiting for him, instead there's the strangest… Push back against him, untrained, perhaps even unaware of what's happening but he _knows_ it's there. Their unborn infant is retuning his touch through the Force with one of their own… It only confirms what he already knows, deep in his bones, they'll be powerful. Perhaps even as powerful as he is… As he _should be._ More thoughts for another time. He will not taint this moment with such dark longings.

One strong kick pulls him free of such thoughts and it's all he can do not to press a kiss to the skin separating them for now in gratitude. This baby… His _salvation_ has already begun its good work. After a moment Anakin finds the strength to glance up at the woman – the _angel –_ who grants him this gift and feels something akin to tears begin to prick his eyes. He knows what they're having… Perhaps the child itself has denied him such knowledge but he _knows_. "What do you think?" He speaks for the first time since sitting by her side upon his return from the Temple, and watches her eyebrow arch in a silent question. With a smile, he adds, "boy or girl?" Understanding dawns across her lovely face, and then something entirely different… Something warmer, a look he's never seen before now. It is the face of a _mother_ , he thinks. It tugs at memories he has not allowed to stir for some time.

"I already know." She answers coyly, and after one last rub against the silk covering her stomach he straightens himself curiously. She knows? What happened to wishing for a surprise? Has she not ordered her medical droid to keep the sex a closely guarded secret until the birth as they planned? He'd be shocked, if he hadn't just tried to find out for himself. "It's a boy." Her slim fingers trace the spot the baby's foot has been abusing all day so lovingly his heart almost can't bear the sight, and yet he cannot look away either. A boy? That's not… She must be wrong. It's not a boy he senses inside her, they're having a girl, he's sure of it. A girl he hopes is her mother's living image. If it's possible his heart swells with love further at the mere imaginings of it… What will it be like when he sees her squirming in his arms?

"No," once again his hand joins her on her stomach just in time for another thump forceful enough for them both to feel, "with a kick that hard? Definitely a girl."

Xox

He's been trapped within the cold Temple walls for days. Constant briefings on the whereabouts of Grievous, meditations with Obi-Wan to strengthen their connection with the Force and worst of all the endless meetings with the Council. Finally, _finally_ he is granted a seat amongst their ranks and yet still they find a way to disrespect him – after _everything_ he has done… If he is indeed the Chosen One, should he not have been welcomed among them long ago? He'd once thought before that such an honour would come later in life, when he's older and wiser… But that was before he fought their war. Before he saved more than one of their lives and yet they still distrust him. Who are _they_ to distrust _him?_ The Chancellor trusts him, a high honour, but they look at him with barely disguised dislike and humiliate him by withholding the title of Master! It's not fair, it's-

"What about Leti? Or Kayna?" Padme's sweet voice vanquishes his trail of thought and it's only now he realises he's been scowling at the floor the entire time she's been speaking. A small rush of shame rushes through him, though he quickly pushes it back. Names… They were discussing names. Yes, that sounds about right. Another flash of guilt licks at his mind for a moment, she's been suggesting names for their baby and he's been thinking about the Council of all things. It takes a moment to quell the quiet rage at their dismissal of all he's done, to push it away to fester another time but he manages it. She's suggesting girl names… Has she come around to the truth at last?

"Girls names? I thought you believed she's a boy." He's surprised at her conceding this early on. He'd thought for sure such a battle between them would surely last until the birth… Though he cannot truly say he's surprised at her coming around so soon. He _is_ right. Their girl likely craves acknowledgement and has enlightened her mother to the truth. Not a moment too soon he thinks.

" _He_ is a boy." She grants him the most charming smile from where she paces across the room, Holopad in hand. Is she looking names up? Surely that is some form of cheating… Should her name not come from their own minds? He won't have her named with something unoriginal or common. Their girl is special, and she deserves a name befitting that specialness. "But there is no harm in being prepared." He barely resists shaking his head. The sooner she admits he is right, the better for all three of them. She mentioned wanting to set the baby's room up, how can that happen if she believes their girl is a boy? It'll be all wrong, and then _he'll_ be forced to redo everything. Such petty complaints tug the corners of his lips upwards into his first smile in days. Truthfully he'd be _glad_ of such a task… In his mind's eye he can already see her cradling their little one in her arms as he fixes the colour of the walls, soft curtains billowing in Naboo's gentle breeze… He cannot imagine anything more perfect. "What do you think? Do you like them?"

"No…" They aren't right. The names she suggested are certainly pretty enough, suitable too, but they aren't _right_. Those aren't the name of their daughter; though truthfully he's no closer to uncovering this mysterious perfect name than she is. Perhaps all it'll take is a single look into her eyes to strike inspiration into their minds? He _does_ hope to have picked something out before the birth. He wants to say her name while he speaks to her, to let it roll of his tongue and familiarise himself with it until it falls from his mouth as easily as Padme's. "Are there any others you like?"

She seems to hesitate a moment, and he senses the rising nervousness within her. What is there to be nervous about? Is she truly _that_ afraid he won't like her suggestions? Surely he isn't that frightening… The thought brings mild amusement to him before it fades to nothingness the moment she comes around the sofa to carefully lower herself down beside him. "What is it?" He asks, trying to ignore the pained scream tearing its way through his mind. _No._ Not the visons again. If there was something wrong she would have told him! He would have _sensed_ it. She takes one of his hands into hers and for once it does nothing to calm the fearful dragon roaring in his chest.

"Well I thought… Maybe you might like the idea of – if by some miracle you're right and he _is_ a girl – naming her after your mother?" Momentary relief washes over the Jedi's body, calming the tension that hardens his muscles with worry. It lasts less than a second, and is gone in the blink of an eye, replaced instead with a pain he's long grown used to. His throat constricts and it's all he can do to tear his gaze away from Padme's to look instead out at the busy air traffic.

"No." Is all he manages force past his lips, unwilling to reopen the old wound despite the possibility of a more than fitting tribute for the very woman who gave him life.

Xox

He sits up late one night, lost to his thoughts while watching the never ending flurry of ships speeding through the urban city without paying them much attention. He's been watching them since he was just a boy, feeling lost and alone without his mother's presence. Especially after the loss of Master Qui-Gonn. He feels much the same now as he did then. Feels like that whimpering little boy all over again and wonders, briefly, if he ever stopped being that boy. It certainly doesn't feel like that tonight, he doesn't feel like a _man_. He feels lost… Afraid, he's _always_ afraid. Force, what he wouldn't give to feel his mother's arms around him right now, hear her whisper some assurance or another until he feels better or falls asleep. He has not slept in days; the exhaustion leaves him heavy and unable to _think_. One glance at his hands tells him he's trembling again, has that ever stopped either?

It's his fault his mother won't ever meet her grandchild. He didn't save her, ignored his dreams until it was too late to get her away from those _savages._ If he'd just heeded the warning she'd still be here, and she'd know _exactly_ what he should do. He considers for a moment, getting into his ship and speeding through hyperspace until he can kneel in front of her grave and ask for something, a _sign,_ anything… But he's sworn he'll never set a single boot down on that damned planet again, and that's not a promise he intends to break. Her death is the only lesson he needs. He was _weak_ before, not strong enough to save her… He won't make the same mistake twice. Padme and their baby _will_ live; he'll do whatever it takes to ensure this.

Artoo glides past him quietly, then reverses and comes forward until he bumps against his leg with a sad little whistle. Not even his good friend can tear him away from such thoughts tonight… He doesn't wish to be free of them, doesn't _deserve_ to be. Perhaps when he has saved his family, his conscious shall clear at last where his mother is concerned? Or perhaps every time he looks into his little girl's eyes he'll be reminded of his failure. Every time he sees her with Padme's mother he'll be forced to see what his own mother will never have. She _would_ have had those things, she would know Padme as his wife, as the mother of his child, and she'd get to know his daughter if… An accusatory thought he's been at war with for so long bursts forward, and he's so _tired…_ There's no more fighting it. Merely acceptance. It's Obi-Wan's fault! The Jedi's fault! If they'd just let him see her, even once… Obi-Wan dismissed his dreams and she died. _They should pay_ a voice within his mind roars, _they did this_. _They should suffer for it as he does_! At each side his hands curl into tight fights, the near silent whirl of the mechanical sensors fills his ears at the movement and remind him to enquire about having skin placed over the monstrosity. He _won't_ touch his child without it.

He wouldn't have to do such a thing if he hadn't had to save Obi-Wan from Dooku in the first place, he thinks bitterly.

"Go shut down buddy." He whispers into the night, reaching out with the replacement for what he's lost to touch the dome of the droid's head. "Recharge while you can, we have things to do tomorrow."

Xox

Once again he does not sleep, too afraid of what visions may be lurking within his mind this night, ready and waiting to torment him all over again. _No_ , he can't see it again. He _won't_! If he has to see Padme screaming and suffering one more time he'll go mad… Frustration and exhaustion battle against one another. He needs _rest_ , but he cannot risk sleep. What can he do? What if- what if he's called upon to return to the battles? Or Grievous is found at last, with the state he's in, Anakin doubts he could take down as much as a Padawan much less any true threat.

What if he _is_ called back out to fight? There have always been risks, threats to his life and until now its heated blood, satisfied the thrill seeker within him, each reckless risk he takes providing the closest substitute for fun he's come to in a very long time. But everything is different now. He has a child on the way. A baby who _needs_ him. Now more than ever Anakin fears not returning… He's always been afraid of leaving Padme behind, making a widow out of her and abandoning her to grieve him. He's never been able to stand such thoughts and now, now he idea of being killed in action… Of falling on the battlefield and never as much as looking his child in the eye before death takes him is _unthinkable_ , deplorable, horrifying…

It is such thoughts that drive him to slither low on the bed, until he's even with the soft fullness of his wife's belly, and gently places his flesh hand against her though her nightgown. He's not the most educated on the finer details of pregnancy, but he knows the basics, and he imagines the baby must be sleeping. That's alright… She needn't be awake for this anyway. "You have no idea how much I love you already." He whispers, pressing his lips to the soft material of Padme's nightgown and presses his forehead against her stomach afterwards. "Your mother does too. She's even trying to learn how to cook for you, little one. We're lucky she's asleep so I can say this, we'll have something at Dex's on standby when she tries, don't worry." Pulling back just a little, he replaces the touch of his forehead with palm again, and wishes he could feel her kicking again. To know that even subconsciously, she hears his words.

"I don't know how much you listen to your mother's Senate meetings, but the Galaxy is in something of a mess right now." Why is he saying all this? Truthfully he has no idea why, but speaking to her like this is a balm to his soul, soothing in a strange way. He can't wait until he can look at her while he speaks to her, but there's still some time before that. This shall have to do. "But I fight to make this a better place for you, because that's what you deserve. A _peaceful_ Galaxy, entire worlds at your little feet… I'll give you that." One hand slides beneath the expensive fabric separating her flesh from his hand, then his palm is pressed against her skin and he hopes his little angel knows his touch is there, waiting until he can touch her for real.

"I won't leave you." He means it, every word he says, he means them to the very depths of his soul. His perfect little girl won't know a single _day_ without her father there, protecting her. "I promise you, I'll always be there to keep you safe. You'll never know a life without me my sweet." Force help anything – _anything_ – that tries to come between him and his family.

Xox

"Ah, Master Ani! I have the information you requested on this HoloPad jus-" Anakin rises from the chair quickly and all but snatches the holopad from the droid and taps the tiny buttons to display what he wants. It's only when he hears the tall droid's exclamation of, "oh my!" That he feels a little guilty for his rashness and turns with a forced smile to reassure him. Threepio can be a pain more often than not, but like Artoo, he's family and deserves respect.

"Sorry Threepio. This is… Thank you." With a nod of gratitude, the Jedi turns on his heel and walks briskly toward the arched doorway leading to the stairs to return to the bedroom. He'd sent the droid off the moment he returned to the looming tower of 500 Republica to gather information on pregnancy and what is good for mother and baby and what is not. He wants to know everything. Until their precious bundle of joy is here, _alive_ and Padme is safe, no risk is too small. They'll do everything right, if it helps then they have done the right thing, and if it does not…

It _will_ help.

He spends _hours_ poring over everything Threepio has downloaded, even finding pieces of flimsi and scrawling a tip or two in his near unintelligible writing. He'd no idea of just how many rules there are for woman with child, so many foods they should have, foods they should avoid, activities that're good for the baby, activities that're bad for the baby. There's so much, Padme hasn't told him even _half_ of this! What if she doesn't know either? Keeping this baby, their marriage secret comes at the cost of her having merely a single medical droid to take care of her. Is that enough? Droids can malfunction and miss things, or misdiagnose something. As usual these days his anxiety tears at him, throwing unanswerable question after question at him until he's sure he's losing his mind.

When she returns from whatever meeting she's attended, she avoids his eye and moves around quickly, brushing off his questions with half answers and dismissive statements. It's… Strange. Usually she's more than happy to speak to him about Senate matters, but now he watches her visibly close up and attempt to change the subject. Why won't she talk to him? Eventually he drops the matter and watches her ease down into the opposite seat uncomfortably. She's closed off from him not only in words but through the Force… He can't sense anything from her. She almost never closes her mind to him, so why do it now?

"I want you to stop working." The stress of the Senate's squabbles could be bad for her and the baby. She should be relaxing, not constantly worrying over some bill or another. "We can go to Naboo if you like. Then you can get a real Doctor – two of them – I'll help you set up the baby's room and-" He is not able to finish his rehearsed speech as she sighs and forces a tight smile past her lips. Still he senses nothing from her… How much energy is she putting into keeping him out of her mind?

"Ani, that's very sweet but I can't just run off. I have work to do and commitments to keep." Why doesn't she want to come away with him? They can forget everything else and focus on keeping her well, on ensuring nothing goes wrong. It was her idea to leave, to go early and set everything up. What's changed now? Doesn't she _want_ to come with him? When the idea struck him earlier, he was _sure_ she'd be excited… _He_ was excited. Getting away from Coruscant, the Jedi and the Senate sounds idyllic to his ears. And yet she'd rather stay… Anakin cannot wrap his mind around it. It doesn't make _sense._ What's worth staying here for? Nothing ever changes in the Senate; there are too many bickering, power hungry politicians and not enough people like Padme and the Chancellor who truly care.

"It'll be good for the baby. And you." He tries calmly. Maybe he can convince her? He'll say whatever he must to make her give and come away with him, tonight. They'll be safe in Varykino, away from the Jedi and their cold stares and their treasonous tasks. They can relax and be together all the while preparing for the baby. Why doesn't she want that? She _knows_ about his nightmares, why is she taking them so lightly? They aren't mere bad dreams; they're a warning, offering him a second chance to save someone he loves… The _only_ one who loves him. She was there, in Tattooine, she knows his dreams have been right before. Why won't she take them seriously now?

"We're fine Anakin." She rises with a bit of effort and brushes her hand over his shoulder as she passes him. "Stop worrying so much. Everything is alright."

Xox

"How are you my boy? You don't look well." The Chancellor asks with genuine concern in his wise eyes, Anakin can feel it coming off of him in waves. This man truly _cares_ about him, unlike Obi-Wan who hasn't noticed anything is wrong. He doesn't _want_ his former master to know a thing. Despite what Padme says, they don't need his help. But still, _why_ hasn't the older Jedi seen the darkness beneath his eyes, or sensed the worry and exhaustion hanging over him? Is it truly so easy to overlook him these days?

He doesn't look well… It's unsurprising; he hasn't slept in little over a week and barely eaten in longer than that. He _feels_ unwell. But that won't fade until he has found a way to keep his family safe, like that story the man across the desk told him in the opera days ago. "I haven't been sleeping well." Is the only answer he gives the kind old man, the closest thing he has to an Uncle, or perhaps a grandfather. Everything, all his worries and fears are dancing on the tip of his tongue, desperate to leap out and be heard by someone – _anyone_. But he holds them back. He has to.

"I have a tonic that'll help with that." Anakin watches the man stand up and leave his desk, "with the worries of the Galaxy on your shoulders it can be difficult to rest from time to time." The man chuckles good naturedly but he does not join him. There is not much to laugh about in his eyes at the moment. "This always does the trick for me. One dose and you'll be half-unconscious throughout the night." Carefully he takes the small glass vial of blue liquid into his hand and examines it closely. Could it help? If he takes this tonic, will it free his mind from the claws of his nightmares, even just for a night?. He needs rest; he can't keep going on like this. But he cannot take this liquid… It may merely trap him in his own mind for an entire night. It's a risk he cannot afford to take, despite his exhaustion.

"Thank you…" He murmurs softly and means it though he has no intention of using whatever medicine this is. There are few things he desires more than a good night's sleep now, but with the nightmares lurking in his mind, waiting for another chance to torment him… He'll do without it. When he rises from his seat, suddenly towering above the man who attempts to keep their Galaxy in order, something strikes him. Sheev is here, with him… But Padme said there was a Senate meeting today. He'd planned to walk around and see her when he leaves this office but only now he realises if there was truly a meeting then the Chancellor would be there, not here with him. "There isn't…" He begins, unsure. To even ask this is to vocalise his doubt and it feels _wrong_ somehow but he must know. "There isn't a Senate meeting today, is there?"

"Oh no, even we politicians need our rest." Once more Sheev chuckles though Anakin does not feel the mirth. If she isn't here, where is she? Why would she look him in the eye this morning and lie to his face? They never… They're always honest with each other, or at least try to be. That's what he's always believed… Has that changed too? "My boy," the man before him starts, face growing grave suddenly and something in his stomach twists nervously. "There is a reason I had you come over here today. It's something I've been torn over for some time now but it is best you know."

Its best he knows what exactly? Is _everyone_ keeping something from him!? When did he become so easy to lie to exactly? He feels the Chancellor's hand on his back suddenly, just below his shoulders, guiding him to the more intimate seating area as he begins to speak once again. "While you were away, defending the Outer Rim, Padme…" The man hesitates as he lowers himself down onto the comfortable cushioned chair and gestures for Anakin to do the same. Padme? What about her? "She spent quite a lot of time with her… _Male_ friends. Organa especially was spotted more than once leaving her apartment at all hours of the night… I had to block a report on the HoloNews claiming the pair were… Well, I'm sure you can imagine the rest."

His hands gloved and ungloved clench so tightly he swears he feels the room tremble for a moment. _What?_ What is he implying? The HoloNews constantly create lies for the sake of gossip, he cares little about what so called reports they had, but the tone of his friend's voice catches his attention… Does he… Does he believe the lies? "What're you saying?" He was gone for several months, long, agonising months… She said herself there were whispers of his death. Did she… Was there another in his place? The very thought sickens him to his core. She would _never_ … Would she? Even if she thought him dead, she wouldn't invite another into her bed – _their_ bed – so soon. He _can't_ believe it – he won't!

"Worst of all was Kenobi." The Chancellor continues as if he hasn't spoken, and Anakin's heart pauses its thundering beat for a moment at his former Master's name. Obi-Wan? What has he got to do with any of this? "He returned for a few weeks without you, do you remember?" He does. The Council called him back for some emergency or another, but Anakin stayed behind to keep their work in order. What is he implying now? "He was often invited to dinner in Padme's apartment. Sometimes remaining there for several long hours. I hate to be the one to tell you all this my boy." He feels the pressure of the man's hand on his shoulder but suddenly cannot bear to look his friend in the eye. "Remember what I told you before; I sense great betrayal in Padme."

When he leaves the Senate building he doesn't bother to check his wife's office or the Naboo pod. His meeting with the Chancellor has left him shaken and confused… What he's saying… It _can't_ be true. It just _can't_ be. She would never as much as _look_ at another man in such a way, would she? And yet, why would Organa and Obi-Wan be seen flitting in and out of her home – _their home –_ when he's off planet? It doesn't make any sense! Can he ask her about it and risk causing her stress? It's not good for the baby…

His previous intentions to return to the apartment and have Threepio prepare dinner for them are drowned beneath the tidal wave of questions and worries that plague him now. He shouldn't indulge such thoughts and yet… If everything the Chancellor has said is true, it would mean… It would be the worst betrayal anyone could inflict upon him. Organa he may understand, after all the man has no knowledge of their marriage but Obi-Wan… He has his suspicions and Anakin _knows_ the man is aware of his love for Padme, even if he knows nothing else. Instead of flying his speeder toward 500 Republica, the Jedi finds himself in a small smoky lower level cantina surrounded by the best of Coruscant's scum. He may not be able to sleep, but he certainly can _drink._

Xox

They have a fight. A _big_ one. Probably the biggest they've ever had in the entirety of their marriage thus far. It's only when she storms out of the room calling over her shoulder that it's best if he doesn't join her in the bedroom tonight that shame washes over him. He should have held back his temper, upsetting her isn't good for the baby – what was he _thinking?_ Exhaling loudly, he sinks down onto the pale yellow sofa and rests his face in his hands. Why can't she see he's trying to keep her safe? Her and the baby! They're in danger, he could lose them both but she doesn't see it. Frustration battles guilt in a fierce battle for domination of his mind and Anakin isn't sure which will win out.

She doesn't trust his instincts, that much has become glaringly clear across the past few days. If she did, she'd _listen._ She wouldn't be so quick to dismiss his nightmares as mere bad dreams. Why does nobody ever listen to him? He should not have _demanded_ she stop working, that was a mistake on his part… Padme never takes demands well. But when he merely asked, she brushed him off, too caught up in her work as always… What else is he supposed to do? She barely looked at the information he had Threepio download, claiming the medical droid knows best – what if it doesn't know everything? What if it misses something vital? He wants her to see doctors, _real_ doctors.

Padme doesn't understand, she isn't in his position. He could lose his family – his _only_ family and be left alone. _Why_ doesn't she understand? If she… If he lost them both what would become of him? Living a life without his wife, his _angel_ , never seeing what their little girl would have grown to become… The very thought sends a rush of nausea through his body, clouding the rapidly growing anger warming his blood. It's not fair… Why does everything that is light, that is _good_ in his life, every blessing have to be taken from him? Not for the first time the Jedi wishes Qui-Gonn lived still, he was the only one who understood… _He_ saw his potential and _trusted_ him. Obi-Wan doesn't trust him, he's beginning to think the man never has. If he did he'd have fought for him, _defended_ him when damned Windu humiliated him in the Council room. But he did _nothing!_ Qui-Gonn would have done something, would have reminded them all of _exactly_ who he is – The Chosen One for the love of the Force!

He _hates_ them sometimes. All of them, every single Jedi. Hates their dogmatic way of living, their distrust of anything that challenges their way of life, their refusal to adapt… Hates their cold faces and uncaring advice. _"The Jedi are your family Anakin."_ Obi-Wan told him once, and he'd been close to running him through with his lightsaber. That… That is not family. He _has_ a family. He had a mother who loved him, who went many nights without eating so he could, who was brave enough to let him go, he has a wife, his very reason for breathing and their baby. _They_ are his family, not the Jedi who have looked down at him every day for years, who do not trust him despite him saving their skins _many_ times over, who hold him back, afraid of his power – his _limitless_ potential.

They're jealous! They always have been… That's why they do this; he sees the truth even if Obi-Wan does not. Windu hates him because he wishes to _be_ him, Yoda fears he'll become more powerful, wiser than he could ever hope to be – and he _will_. He swears it to every star burning in the sky - one day he'll be more powerful than all of them combined and they'll bend the knee to _him._ Then they'll be sorry, they'll all be sorry they ever doubted him

Xoxo

He watches her fuss around the apartment, folding linens and reorganising things, jobs that should fall to Threepio, but she says nothing. It's not exactly Padme he watches, he cannot tear his eyes from the swell of her stomach as she moves. It's not unusual, though normally when he does this it's out of wonder, borne of a sudden burst of love for her and their baby but this morning… It's not that at all. The words of the Chancellor ring in his ears as they have since the older man uttered them, and for the first time it occurs to Anakin that she's bigger than she should be.

He may not be very knowledgeable about these things, but he has seen his fair share of expectant mothers in his time. There were always so many woman carrying babies on Tattooine, his mother delivered more than one in their little hovel, and there are plenty of female Jedi who carry children and place them with the crèche Masters. And the information Threepio downloaded included various images of how expectant mothers should look at each point in their pregnancy. Anakin _knows_ what a woman should look like at this far along and Padme is bigger. Maybe she confused the date of the conception? Perhaps it wasn't their night in Varykino after all, but earlier… But before Varykino he hadn't been back for at least six months, and was deployed to the Outer Rim for another eight the very next day. If she'd conceived with him before then the baby would be born already, would she not? He can't make sense of it.

" _Worst of all was Kenobi. He returned for a few weeks without you, do you remember?"_ The Chancellor's words thunder through his mind once again, refusing to be ignored for even one more moment. Obi-Wan… Could he have…? Is it possible? Surely he would have noticed something, _sensed_ such a betrayal? He wants nothing more to tear the hair from his scalp for a moment and feels his fists clench tightly. He shouldn't doubt her like this. It's _wrong._ Padme loves him as he loves her… She would not so much as _look_ at another man in such a way, right? As if in answer the scalding memory of entering the apartment to find the serpent Rush Clovis' lips mere inches from hers comes flashing into his mind. _No!_ She did not desire that man's touch, she's sworn as much and he believes her.

He _does_ believe her… Doesn't he?

As Padme disappears out onto the private landing platform to fetch something or another – he wasn't listening – Anakin feels his mind open to the Force, accepting it's gift – curse – and anticipates yet another vision to assault his senses sooner than later. Another sleepless night, tormented by images of his screaming wife, dying in agony because he's too weak. _He's pathetically weak_. Another night of the torture of not knowing the fate of the baby. Wanting to push back such thoughts, he reaches for his wife's datapad in the hopes of even a small distraction however the moment he lifts the device into his hands a wave of familiarity floods through the man, rendering him defenceless against the vision that begins to playout before his eyes.

 _The first thing he sees is Obi-Wan, pale faced and something more than the usual worried expression painting his face. It's concerning to see… Despite everything he and the old man have been through, Anakin has never seen such a mixture of pain and concern on his former Master's face. "Save your energy." He coos quietly, then his face is gone, swallowed by a darkness that lingers for a moment. When it clears the horror of what he sees is something Anakin is not prepared for. Padme… In the same plain white hospital gown she wore in his other visions. She's in pain, he can feel it… Rapidly weakening and running out of fight. This part of the vision is new… Before she screamed for him, begged for his help but he hasn't seen her speaking before. Nor has Obi-Wan appeared until now._

" _I can't…" She whimpers, gasping for breath and the sound pulls at his heart. He wants to help her, but what can he do? There must be something he can do! She's so weak, limbs slowly becoming limp as her head begins to fall to the side, eyes fluttering shut in the most horrifying way._

" _Don't give up Padme!" Obi-Wan begs quietly and with one final shuddering breath from his wife, Anakin is hauled violently from the vision, snapped back into reality with something close to a painful jolt._

It takes him a moment to recover, to regain the ability to move, much less think about what he has just seen. After one hateful glance at the datapad, he places the device down and takes a long breath. What he saw… He just watched her _die_ , he's sure of it. The vision has changed, and it is worse than before. There is no consolation of the wail of an infant either, so the fate of the baby is as much a mystery as ever before. Swallowing, outrage licks at his mind with one simple realisation.

Obi-Wan was by her side during her childbirth. He has never seen himself in any of these visions, but now apparently she has Obi-Wan with her… _Why_ would the older man be there at the birth of _his_ child? Why wouldn't he be there himself, holding her hand – keeping her alive and well? Once more the wave of familiarity washes over his mind, feeding the outrage until it bursts into a fury he can barely conceal. Does she not think he's powerful enough to keep her safe? Is that why he was here? He can sense it; Kenobi was here, in the very spot he sits in now. Were they confiding in one another, making plans? He won't have it… This is his place, his _home._ Kenobi cannot push his way into this.

What if… What if it is Kenobi's baby she carries? What if he tries to take her from him?

When his wife reappears into the room folding one of her pretty lace shawls over her arm with a smile so sweet it threatens to tear his heart asunder for a moment. If she knew what he was thinking… His eyes drift closed as the anger dissipates, replacing itself with an unbearable rise of self-loathing. He shouldn't doubt her – _how dare he_ doubt her! Who is he to doubt something so precious and pure? He's- he's just tired. Not thinking clearly. Not sleeping is the root of all this, he's sure of it. And yet still he wonders…

"Obi-Wan's been here hasn't he?" He asks her, and tries not to tense as she lays a hand on his back affectionately… She wouldn't be so willing to touch him if she knew… He doesn't deserve her touch, not after doubting her the way he has. He doesn't deserve her or their baby. He's not strong enough for them, they need a protector, someone to keep them alive and safe and he doesn't know how to do that. They need someone stronger, more _powerful_. He wants that, _craves_ that power to fill his veins, wants to feel himself at the height of it, undefeatable – able to bend the very _Galaxy_ to his will.

When she tells him his former master is worried about him, it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. And his confession pours from his lips before he can stop it… He tells her everything, the council's lack of trust in his abilities, the terrible thirst for _more_ haunting him… She does her best to comfort him with soft words and sweet touches but for once her talent with words fails her, and he's left feeling no better than before as he looks into those beautiful eyes of hers and swears to the Force itself he won't let her die.

He won't fail again.

Xoxox

Anakin is a slave.

He came into this world a slave, bought and sold and handed over to Master after Master with his mother until Watto came along. Everything wasn't wonderful, but it was better than before, and his mother always knew how to make the best of their situation. It could have been worse, they got lucky. When Qui-Gonn came along with promises of destiny and adventure, the boy he had been was too naive to see it… Even while he left his mother behind in the sandy street, he'd been unable to see the freedom he was tasting for the first time was merely a different form of slavery… A chain of an all new kind, invisible but it was there, and as he'd find out later, much, much tighter than before. They cut his hair and changed his clothes, told him to not think of his mother anymore – to stop wanting her. He had to learn to let go they said… He still remembers to this very day being that little boy tucked up alone in the strange bed in the cold Temple looking up at the ceiling and wondering, if he wasn't a slave any longer, why is he still forced to call people Master?

The memory assaults him now, as he falls to his knees before the Sith Lord in the wrecked remains of his office, failing miserably to hold back tears of disgust and fear… He killed Master Windu – _killed him_. He didn't mean it – everything happened so quickly, it was beyond his control… He just… He had to stop him. If he'd let the Master kill the Chancellor for his crimes, he'd lose his family – his baby could die! Padme could die! He only meant to disarm him; he never wanted the him to die… He chokes on a sob as Palpatine – Sidious offers him a place by his side. No one will understand, they won't see why he did it. They'll _blame_ him! He wanted to see the man towering above him receive a fair trial – to make amends for his sins with Dooku. They'll – they'll punish him, throw him into The Prism and never look back. He wouldn't see his baby come into this world, won't be there to hold Padme's hand, to keep her alive.

The Chancellor is the only one who can help. He can find a way to save Padme's life, not like Yoda, content to sit in his chair and do _nothing_. The Chancellor _understands…_ He knows why he killed Windu, he won't turn his back on him the way everyone else will. Instead he offers him _everything_ he's ever wanted… Power beyond imagining, a peaceful Galaxy for his family… And a Galaxy without the Jedi to take his baby away from him.

He was a slave on Tattooine, and he has been a slave to the Jedi Order all these years, but here, now… On his knees before the Sith Master while he begs for help in saving his family's lives, Anakin Skywalker feels more like a slave than he ever did in that little junk store.

Xoxo

The look of betrayal on their faces when they see him is haunting… The embrace of the Dark Side is numbing, blocking any guilt he may have felt out and filling his body instead with _anger_. He cuts down the Jedi easily, they're no match for him – they're all _nothing_ in comparison to him. Their cries energise him in ways he's never felt before, watching the bodies fall in every corner of the building tugs at the corners of his lips, hidden by the thick hood of cloak as his lightsaber dances. There is no mercy, no afterthought, or guilt. Only _power_ and death. The so called peacekeepers fight valiantly for their lives, and it is to be respected, though they are felled easily enough, and Vader hears a small part of himself – the _weak_ part think, he has fought with these people, lived with them, grown amongst them… And all along has been their death. That same part of him is disgusted as he slices through the healer who'd treated countless wounds of his over the years, but Vader is in control now… And he _delights_ in the spray of blood that coats his skin and clothes.

 _They deserve it_! The darkness hisses, stretching its limbs free at last from its long captivity within him, and it coils tightly around his soul – tainting him. _They wouldn't save her… They'd leave Padme to die then take the baby!_ He will _burn_ this Temple to the ground before he lets that happen. And he _will_ … His Master wanted complete destruction and that is _exactly_ what he shall have. His smoke will fill the air of Coruscant for weeks – months! Let the people never forget what kind of power he possesses!

The black cloak he wears swishes behind his feet as he marches through the Temple, confident and unfeeling until he pauses outside the crèche and swallows. The horrors of what must be happening just past those doors threatens to shake the hold of Vader for a moment… Within there are the smaller children – _babies_. Younglings who have not yet begun their training. They are innocent, free of the hold of the Jedi… His own youngling will be along soon, about the size of the littler ones in there. This is where they'd put her, if they got their filthy hands on her... No! There can be no place for such things in his new world; his Empire shall have no reminders of the Jedi who wanted to destroy the peace… Not even the littlest babe resting in its crib within that room is free of the touch of Jedi – it's too late for them. They must be destroyed to purify the Galaxy once and for all. There is a mercy in it, he thinks and leaves the clones to their work.

He is keeping his promise, his oath in doing this. He swore to keep his baby safe, and this is it… She'll be safe in a world without Jedi, she'll never be forced to stare into the cold, unforgiving eyes of the Masters as they judge and criticise her every choice. She'll know none of that. He'll ensure she feels nothing like he did as a child; he swears it to the very stars above them all as he steps into the Council Chambers for one last look before he has the place engulfed into flames. He has spent so much time longing to be invited here, welcomed into the rank of Master with open arms… He _deserved it!_ He is more capable with the Force than any of them! They were always jealous. It's why they rejected him, criticised him, and told him he wasn't _good_ enough… That he hadn't _earned_ their trust… He wishes they were here so he could cut them down himself and see them realise in those last precious moments _exactly_ what he is capable of.

The sight he is greeted with instead is harrowing, younglings – bigger than those in the crèche – looking at him with big wide eyes, as if he is their salvation and not the pits of Sith hell come to swallow them whole. Once more, he thinks, it's not their fault. They had no choice in coming here… It is the Jedi who have doomed these children, not him. However merely that is not their fault does not mean he will not do what he must. He has his orders, and he will follow them – he _must_. The Chancellor has all the power, if he wishes to save his family then these children must pay the price. Someone, so long ago that their face has faded from his mind, once told him _only life pays for life…_ Such a statement rings truer to his ears now than any other words he's ever heard uttered. A little boy toddles closer, watching him closely and asks something Anakin's ears do not pick up. All he hears is his lightsaber igniting, bursting to life and one single thought repeating in his mind over and over and over again.

These lives for his family's.

Xox

Padme runs to him and kisses him with relief pouring out of her body when he returns to their home, changed out of the blood stained robes and cloak he wore in the Temple. Before he had it set alight, he took the time to scrub his skin clean of Jedi blood… He could not have come home to her and tainted her in such a way. She is an angel, and should be revered as such… And their baby… She is safer now than she ever has been. The Jedi are all but gone now – extinguished so that she may come into this world and live to experience it. One day she'll know what he did for her and know she's the specialist being in the entire Galaxy. His own little darling.

He cannot get enough of his wife's touch this evening, whether it is his course palm on her cheek or fingers through her hair, or hands dancing along her sides, he can't relinquish her touch. Power rushes through him still as the darkness congratulates him on his good work. _The Jedi are gone!_ They are free at least… Finally their time has come. Everything they have ever talked about, wanted – planned even in fantasy – is free to step into reality. He has brought about a new world for their family to grow within, she'll be so happy when she knows. He tells her what she must know and nothing more… She's been worried enough for one night. It isn't good for the baby. He'll tell her everything else in good time, when she's more relaxed…

His fingers slip through her silken curls once more and he wishes there was time to take her into their bedroom; his new power breeds a rapidly rising lust that he cannot wait to sate… He wants to take her now, husband and wife and know he has her forever… Soon everyone will know this too; the deception is over at last. Alas such things must wait. There is work to do still. When he tells her his loyalties lie with the Chancellor, he means it. That man is the only one with the power to save her and the baby… He wants to help them, is _glad_ to. He's always been a loyal friend to them both even if Padme hasn't been able to see it. She will now, when she understands everything that's happened, she'll see what the Chancellor has done for them!

He does, however, lie when he swears loyalty to the Senate. He cares nothing for it, Palpatine could destroy it and rule the Republic himself and Anakin would applaud. His wife wouldn't agree, but she's been kept ignorant of the worst of the corruption inside her beloved rotunda, and it's been for the best until now. He'll keep her in her blissful ignorance for a while yet, until their baby is here and they're both well. Then he'll bring her around to the Chancellor's way of thinking… Between them both, the Galaxy will be better off than ever before. This can only bring _good._ They don't need the Senate… It's outdated, a relic from a time past they've humoured for too long. All it has done is lined dirty politicians pockets and prolonged the war… Leaving the people suffering outside while petty differences are squabbled over within the dome. She'll see all that soon enough.

His lie is followed swiftly by another truth. His loyalties lie – above _all else_ – with her. She is his wife, his love… His light. All this, everything he has done has been for her, to keep her alive and by his side, where she belongs. Her eyes widen as he steps toward her, and what he expects to hear are words of love from her mouth, or at least reassurance that her loyalty is his and only his. But instead she asks him about Obi-Wan. _She asks him about Obi-Wan._ Why does she care about Obi-Wan now? Why is she _thinking_ about Obi-Wan? It takes more control than he believed he has left to keep from snarling such questions, but his body tenses anyway and the darkness whispers, _she's been thinking about Obi-Wan this whole time… She wants him here, not you._ All the doubts kept at bay, every errant thought about the size of the swell of her stomach come rushing back into his mind as he takes the final step, closing the distance between them. When she watched the Temple burn, was it his former Master she worried about or him?

Another truth leaves his mouth as he tells her many Jedi are dead, killed in some way or another… And he watches her carefully, prays to the Force that the traitorous bastard Obi-Wan is among them. Padme is _his,_ the baby is _his –_ Obi-Wan can't have them! She looks horrified and his durasteel limb clenches by his side. _He_ is here, why does she think of another? Why is she sad for another man when he's here and lives and has torn down the Jedi Order, for _her?_ When she looks frightened, despite everything his first instinct is to soothe his earlier words, and give her hope… Just as he hopes. Hopes that this is all a cruel misunderstanding on his part… That he has read into things too much, that she merely fears for a friend.

She tells him she's afraid and he swears his heart comes close to cracking in his chest… Her being afraid is not what he wants; it's the farthest thing from what he wants. Once again his hand runs through her hair while he watches her face, she has nothing to fear. Everything will be over soon and they'll settle into a new life together. It will all be just as it should be. "Have faith my love…." He says softly, eyes drifting for a moment to her lips as his rush of possessiveness feds his lust, creating an ache below his waist. "Everything will soon be set right." He tells her about his new mission, that the war will soon be over once and for all, and asks her to wait for him. This time tomorrow he'll be back in her arms, and a new era shall dawn – not only or them – but for the entire Galaxy. And he will have brought it about, for their family.

"There's one more thing." He whispers quietly, wrapping one arm around her trim waist and holding her to him as best he can in her condition. She says nothing, but waits quietly for him to continue. Just wait until he can tell her everything, they can rejoice together. He cannot wait to see how happy she is. "I want to name her Leia." He breathes against her soft skin, then, unable to resist, mouths at the skin of her neck. Force, he wants her… Unfortunately, Padme pushes him back gently to look him the eye, hands curling into the material of his tabard as she repeats the name.

"Leia?" It sounds even better from her mouth… The name, so perfect falling from her lips cements it further for Anakin. Is she still convinced she's carrying a boy? They haven't had time to discuss such things of late… If she hasn't yet come around then he supposes she never will. They'll just have to wait until she's born for him to claim his victory and give their daughter her name. After a moment, the smallest smile pulls at the right corner of her lips even as she looks away, out at the air traffic. "Leia…" She tests it again and his flesh hand comes to rest on the swell of her stomach and feels the pulse against his palm. Their girl likes her name he thinks. "Ani, it's perfect… Maybe we'll call the next one Leia." He frowns as she meets his gaze, that small smile growing larger, more carefree.

"The next one?" Her own arms come around him now, lacing around his neck and whatever anger he felt before this moment melts away beneath her touch as it usually does. There'll be time to think of such things later… Still, even beneath this happiness she brings him he hopes Obi-Wan is dead and they're free of him. He never wants to see the old man again, doesn't want him to see his family – _his_ family or come into contact with them again. It's better this way, Anakin doesn't need the darkness to tell him that.

"Well, I think our son would come to resent us if we named him Leia." She's funny, and despite everything he catches himself chuckling low in his throat as he cups his face. Much like the thought of Obi-Wan, there'll be time for this talk later. He must get to Mustafar while the Separatist scum are all still there together and end this war once and for all. Still, he doesn't wish to leave her frightened as she was before, so fills his flesh palm with her cheek.

"Wait for me until I return." He masks the demand as a request and watches her nod, "everything will be different, I promise." Everything is already different, he has seen to that. But there is no use in her learning of all that prematurely. When he returns to her, it'll be with news of a warless Galaxy, with peace finally blanketing the Republic. Then, just like he wanted, she can retire, at least for a while... Get off her feet and leave the work of governing to the Chancellor. Still desperate for her, Anakin can't deny himself the chance to take those sweet lips into a kiss and she doesn't rebuff him, instead leaning up to meet him halfway. It's a short kiss; not nearly enough to satisfy either of them, but there's no time for more. They'll have all the time in the world upon his return for more. "Please," he begins again, pulling away from her while he still can. "Wait for me."

Xox

When he sees her ship approaching, there is nothing ominous in the Force to give him concern… There is only confusion as to why she hasn't waited for him, why she'd come all the way out to this Force forsaken pit of lava. Something must have driven her here; she wouldn't have travelled so far in her condition if it wasn't necessary. So he pulls down his hood and runs, all the way across the platform and bridge to get to her on the landing deck before she can make it to him and see what's left of the Separatists. He doesn't need her innocent eyes seeing the brutality, it would only upset her. She runs a little and meets him a short distance away from her ship and at once he takes her into his arms for a few moments then pulls back. Something must be wrong… It has to be. Why else would she be here?

He takes a moment to look her up and down and sees nothing amiss, but can't feel relieved, not yet. Not until he knows what's driven her all this way. "I saw your ship… What're you doing out here?" This is no place for her; the heat is sickening and unhealthy… The air itself feels like breathing fire into his lungs. The baby shouldn't have to breathe this. She should be resting far away on Coruscant, where she's safe. He wants her as far away from this terrible place as he can get her. The moment he's able to, he'll guide her back onto her ship and send her off again.

Her hands grasp onto his arms tightly, and he feels her tremble against him. "I was so worried about you!" Worried? What is there to worry about? Just as he promised, everything is how is should be… The Separatists are gone, snuffed out and so the Galaxy is once more free of their exploitation. He has singlehandedly ended the war! It is finally over! They're free… Everyone is free, and it's all because of him. She needn't be worried, she should be _proud_. All their worries are at an end, and the peace they've both fought so desperately for is dawning across the Galaxy right now. Just as he smiles, widely – _truly_ – genuinely happy for the first time since she told them she's carrying the product of their love, she says five words to make that happiness come crashing down around him. "Obi-Wan told me terrible things…"

Obi-Wan? His first thought is, he's alive? Well, the old man managed it then… There is respect to be had in that feat, but Anakin is not willing to give it. Not to him. The moment he is gone, she opens the doors of their home to Obi-Wan of all people? After he told her about the Jedi's plot! Why did she see him? _How_ did she see him? It means there are still Jedi out there, ready and waiting to destroy all he's worked for! If his former Master can survive the Clones' assault, then others must have too… He should alert his Master at once, but for the moment his attention is held by Padme.

"What things?" He growls furiously. What has the son of Sith whispered in her ear this time? He was always so quick to criticize him in the past; Anakin can _hardly_ wait to see what he has to say now… The Jedi's warped view of events must be just _fascinating_ to listen to. What has he told her to get her into this state? Wait until he finds him… _Break every bone he has for this…_ The darkness whispers and Anakin is not inclined to fight it even a little. He deserves it!

"He said," she hesitates, looking him in the eye with her lovely features twisted into something close to horrified. "You'd turned to the dark side," Ah… So the old man knows the truth… He doesn't care how he found out, all that matters is Padme knows and he wanted to break her into the news himself… When everything is settled. He wanted the chance to make her understand things clearly – to save her from this kind of worry! For a moment he lowers his gaze, and purses his lips against the _fury_ at yet another betrayal from Kenobi. His treachery shall be his undoing. "That you…" She trails off, and though he isn't looking at her, he can feel the disgust radiating from her, lacing itself into her words, " _killed younglings!"_ He will kill Kenobi for this. Who is he to tell her all this? To make her worry and panic?

"Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me." He warns her… Can't she see that on her own? Perhaps his claims are not as slanderous as he'd have her believe right now, but what the man has said is a verbal attack! It's designed to frighten her, to lure her away from him – he won't let that happen! The Jedi – what's left of them – are already trying to take his family away, just as he knew they would. He was right all along! Kenobi would take Padme and their baby away from him… That's all this _talk_ of theirs was. _Maybe the doors weren't all she opened…_ The darkness murmurs and the fury burning in his chest comes close to boiling over. _No_ … He must keep control. He will save his rage for when he sees Kenobi.

"He cares about us!" Padme argues, and Anakin frowns. The confusion calms the inferno slightly, but not enough…

"Us?" He questions through clenched teeth. What has she been telling him? He _told_ her, they don't need Kenobi's help and she talked to him anyway, didn't she? Why is she always so obsessed with Obi-Wan? Can't he ever just be enough? He's done what is necessary to keep her and the baby safe – what has her precious Obi-Wan done? Other than attempt to turn her against him at first opportunity that is. After all they've gone through to keep their secret safe from everyone, why _now_ has she confided in Obi-Wan? What's changed?

At first she gives him a small nod, and tightens her grip on him. She's so afraid… He could wring Kenobi's neck! "He knows." The admission falls from her lips, and then she looks away guilty. It lasts only a moment but it catches his attention anyway. What else does he know? Does he… What about the baby?! Does he know about her? He can't! He'll try to take her away – doesn't she know that? "He wants to help you." He's forgotten just how naive she can be at times… So much so that when she says this, he can't hold back a small smirk – a near laugh. Kenobi wants to _help_ him? She _is_ an angel, always seeing the best in everyone… Even the man who'd tear them apart. Kenobi doesn't want to _help_ him… After what happened in the temple, the old man would likely much rather _kill him_.

Despite his amusement, Padme meets his eyes, stricken with fear and whatever enjoyment of the irony he has dies away. This isn't the time for laughter… His wife is afraid and stressed and its Kenobi's fault – all of this is Kenobi's fault! Damn him! "Anakin…" Even her voice trembles, "all I want is your love." His sweet angel… Doesn't she see? His love may be all she wants, but it isn't what she needs… There's still danger to her and the baby, but soon he'll have the all the power he needs to keep them safe.

"Love won't save you Padme…" It's about time she understood what's going on. Perhaps then she'll finally see how _weak_ Kenobi is – that he is the only one for her. That he's the only one powerful enough to _save_ her! "Only my new powers can do that!" He understands her hesitation before, but now she knows… Now she'll _understand!_ His hopes are quickly dashed when she leans closer, eyes still wide and panicked.

"At what cost? You're a good person – don't do this!" She still doesn't understand… He hasn't explained himself correctly. He's unprepared for this… He'd hoped this was a conversation they'd have on his own terms not Kenobi's. Fine, it's fine… He'll _make_ her understand, and then he'll send her back to Coruscant to be safe.

"I won't lose you the way I lost my mother…" He swears, as he has done every day and every night since his first dream of what awaits her in childbirth. This time he says it aloud, for another to hear and it's _empowering_ , as if now he has a witness he cannot fail – will not fail. But Padme only shakes her head a little, unshocked but still as afraid as before. She should find this oath reassuring; it should ease her fears… "I am becoming more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of… And I'm doing it for you, to protect you." Now she'll see why all this has happened, she'll _understand_. He's given her peace, given their child a chance to grow up in a Galaxy without war, without conflict… And without the dogmatic rulings of the Jedi being preached openly, without children being taken from their mother's arms to fill their empty temple. She's safe from it, _all_ of it, because of him. He's fulfilling his promise made that night, to keep her safe.

"Come away with me," she begs him suddenly, lifting her arms to let her hands to caress his hair – something that is usually so soothing, _calming_ but now Anakin only frowns. Any time before this, to have heard those words fall from her lips would have felt like a _blessing_ , his salvation even. How many times in the past has he begged her to run with him? To go somewhere where nobody would ever guess who they once were and just be together? Every time she gave him rejection, promises of _one day_ and reminders of the heavy duty they're both bound to carry… What's changed now? Why does she want to leave _now?_ "Help me raise our child – leave everything else behind while we still can!" Why doesn't she understand? Is this what she really wants, to raise their baby on the run? She'd have to grow up in hiding, spend her childhood life disguised and hidden… Doesn't she want better for their daughter?

"Don't you see? We don't have to run away anymore!" The day they've been waiting for, for so long is finally upon them! He has brought about a world where they can be together, freely – _openly._ Everyone can know they are husband and wife! He can take her out, show her off… Let the world see their love. They'll be a real couple – a real _family!_ This is what he's been fighting for all this time, through the entire war, for this! For them! At last he can give her all he never could before – a real life together, a family… A true marriage like everyone else gets to have. Why… An unsettling shift splits his rising excitement, ice water being thrown over the fire – it's extinguished as something occurs to him. Why now? Why would she want to leave now that they can finally be open about their love? Now that people can finally know he is her husband… Doesn't she want people to know about him? Is she ashamed of him? She must think him weak – just like everyone else! He is _not_ weak, not anymore! If she wants more, he can give her more… He'll give her everything, every star in the sky – he'll tear them all down if that is her desire. "I have brought peace to the Republic!" That's what she wanted, isn't it? All this time she's worked to bring peace and now he has given it to her… Is this enough? Is she happy to be with him now? He expects her enchanting smile, the lovely sound of her laugh and to feel her joy through the Force but instead there is silence. He is given silence and a frown rather than the smile he wanted. It's not enough… He has more to offer – not just to her but to their baby! "I am more powerful than the Chancellor – I- I can overthrow him!" He is the most powerful man in the Galaxy – the Chancellor is _nothing_ to him compared to her… He'll cut the man down if that's what she wants, he'll do _anything_ to please her. "And together, you and I can rule the Galaxy! Make things the way we want them to be!"

She'll want that, won't she? She can rule by his side, the two of them together – creating an Empire of peace and freedom. The Senate has always frustrated her to no end; the corruption of other's coming before the needs of the people has torn her apart more than once… Now he has the power to put that to an end! All those discussions they've had in the comfort of their bed about how the world _should_ work can become reality! They'll rule together, side by side – _husband and wife._ She was a Queen once, now she can be his _Empress_. And more than that, their baby can inherit the _Galaxy_ from them. Before, he'd have had nothing to give their little one, and now she'll have an Empire at her feet, millions of beings bowing for her – his Princess in name and title.

His delight falters once more, this time crashing to the depths of the lava surrounding them, letting the flames eat it alive. Padme has no smile for him, nor any excitement or joy at this bright future he's carved out for them, instead she steps back and begins to put distance between them. And then worse – she pours salt into his wound and _shakes her head._ Why- What more does she want? Why isn't she happy? She should be rejoicing! "I don't believe what I'm hearing." She shakes her head more, kindling the rage simmering beneath the surface of the decaying happiness… Why isn't she grateful for what he's done? Doesn't she _want_ their baby to grow up in a safe Galaxy? Or would she have preferred that war, death and destruction were simply part of the baby's childhood? Is all this because she doesn't care? About him or the baby… Doesn't care that she's still in danger – she could still die! Why doesn't she understand this? Everything he's done has been to save her, and he will – and once the Chancellor has helped him discover the secrets of the power controlling life, he'll kill him and rule in his place. This is a _good_ thing! She should trust him – why doesn't she trust him? Why does _no one_ ever trust him? "Obi-Wan was right… _You've changed."_

Obi-Wan… Why is she always thinking of _Obi-Wan?_ What has Obi-Wan done for her? _Nothing!_ He has done nothing to keep her safe, to ensure the survival of her and the baby, while he's torn the Galaxy apart to keep them! Why isn't _he_ enough for her? He's offered her _everything_ and it's still not enough – why isn't _he_ enough? What does Kenobi have that he does not? It's not fair! The rage no longer needs to kindle, with those six words from her mouth it bursts into flames, threatening to take hold of him completely. _Let it in…_ He hears the darkness, the dragon of the dark side curls around his body – seductive as ever and he's tempted. _Kenobi has poisoned her mind – he's trying to steal her from you! She's letting him!_ He's filled suddenly, with violent images of the older Jedi's death, all at his own hand and all torturous in nature… Yes… He wants that, he wants to make him scream and beg for mercy – to make him _plead_ for the sweet release of death for doing this. It all becomes too much and he cannot bear to look into those beautiful – _traitorous –_ eyes for even a moment more. Instead his lips purse as he glances at the lava and tries to clear his mind. He must keep calm… He needs control. Kenobi shall be dealt with.

"I don't wanna hear any more about Obi-Wan." If he never hears the name from her lips again it'll be too soon. _Make her watch the sleemo die – let her see what you're capable of!_ The dragon – the _darkness_ roars into his ear as his gaze works its way back to her again. _That_ certainly is tempting… His words are a warning – his final warning. His patience with her where this subject is concerned, baby or no baby, is growing thin. Every time she says his name it's another betrayal, he can't – _won't_ – take any more of it. She knows him more than anyone, better than anyone else ever could, how can she let Obi-Wan's poison seep into her like this? "The Jedi turned against me – don't you turn against me." He can't lose her… All this has been to avoid losing her. Can't she see that? Look at the lengths his love for her has taken him! She can't turn her back on him as the others did, he won't _let_ her.

She emits something akin to a sob, and despite the anger and the dragon on his shoulders, it pulls at him. None of this was meant to… He didn't _want_ to upset her. He wanted her to be happy with him – with _only_ him – and to build a Galaxy worthy of her and their baby. His arms ache suddenly, longing to hold her and soothe her, but he can't. Not until she understands, until all thoughts of Obi-Wan are long forgotten from her mind. "I don't know you anymore!" She cries and Anakin has to tear his eyes from her again. She doesn't _know_ him anymore? By the Force, she knows him more than anyone else could ever hope to! How could she ever think otherwise? Is this what Kenobi has told her? That he's different now, _changed…_ Is this what they talk about, during their secret little meetings? _They do much more than talk…_ The dragon hisses, breathing fire into his mind. " _Anakin…_ " The way she whimpers his name is almost painful, it hurts to hear such despair in her voice where there should be joy. "You're breaking my heart… You're going down a path I can't follow!"

A path she can't follow? His gaze snaps back to her, and any pain, any regret he has is lit aflame and yet more fury rises from their ashes. She can't _follow_ him? He can barely control the anger anymore, his hands clench and shake with it and the dragon screams, threatening to turn his vision black while his power cracks this entire planet in half. She wants to leave him! After everything he's done to save her – how much he _loves_ her! Doesn't she know how much he loves her? His very breath comes for _her_! All he has done, every corpse falling at his feet, the blood on his hands… The Younglings… It was all for _her_! He fell to his knees before the darkness and let it consume him, corrupting his very soul to save _her_! And she wants to leave him… Does she even care? There's still danger, they could still lose the baby – she could die! Does she truly not realise this? Or does she simply not care? Has she ever cared, about the baby, about _him?_ She betrayed him with Obi-Wan and she's too ashamed of her ties to him for their marriage to become public knowledge – did she ever love him?

"Because of Obi-Wan." He doesn't ask, the words don't string together to form a question. He doesn't need them to, for he already knows the answer. She said her heart is breaking, but what about _his_? It's torn in two – crushed to the hot, grimy ground beneath her boot. He won't let her leave him, not for Kenobi, not for anyone – not ever! They belong together, are destined for one another – it was the will of the Force. She loves him… Doesn't she? For the first time since she first uttered those words back in Geonosis, Anakin begins to doubt it… If she loves him, she'd _want_ to follow him, to be with him – there would be no thought of Obi-Wan in her mind, she wouldn't let the man so much as speak a word against him in their home.

"Because of what you've done!" He feels it. Something shifts in the Force, and his attention is drawn away from his wife almost completely. That feeling… The familiarity, it's back. There's another presence here with them and not the baby… "What you plan to do!" She adds though he doesn't listen to her anymore… _Who…?_ Wait, he _knows_ that presence, he has felt it almost every single day since his training began, felt it in their home – the very presence that has come between them. Kenobi is here, in her ship! He hears her struggle for breath against the onslaught of tears she's fighting, but all Anakin feels now is _betrayal._ There's only one reason Obi-Wan would be here… His eyes watch the chrome Star skiff as the fury he's been fighting all this time reaches the brink before the abyss, ready and waiting to _explode_ and make the traitors feel his fury. _Come out and face me you coward_ the darkness taunts, and he waits. As if he heard him, the Jedi appears at the top of Padme's ship's ramp and the betrayal he's suspected all along is confirmed. Hurt, anger, betrayal all battle for dominance within him and there's no telling which will win. She _has_ betrayed him! His love is meaningless to her! Everything he's done for her is means nothing! She doesn't care – she never cared about him. His love, his angel… His _wife_ brought Kenobi here. She flew all this way not because she's worried about him, or to help him – not to tempt him away into a life of running and hiding with her – she came here to watch Obi-Wan kill him! They've conspired against him – to kill him and keep the baby for themselves! Then he hears her, the traitor herself, unaware the game is over, attempts to lure him further into the trap. " _I love you!"_ She cries out, and his gaze switches to her, and feels the first sting of tears assault his vision. _How can she say that to you? She doesn't love you, she's never loved you! Her words are lies, cheap and meaningless. She wants him – she's always wanted him! They're here to get rid of you!_

"Liar!" He roars, and at last the rage bursts and floods his body making a puppet out of him. Anakin is in control no longer – instead _Vader_ takes over. He's been a fool – all along he's been played for a fool by them both! He's been a snivelling, weak waste of potential, bowing to _love_ and thinking only of her… And all along… All this time she's… His eyes bleed yellow as the darkness takes its hold once again, just like in the temple, its anger not _love_ that rules him now. Padme glances behind her, toward Obi-Wan – her lover, her conspirator – and tries to deny it. Just how simple does she think he is?! She truly must think him laughably weak if she believes he'll be won over by her lies now. _Everything that leaves her mouth is a lie!_ She steps back again, glancing frantically between he and Kenobi… The Chancellor was right all along! He should have believed him sooner. _Show your strength! Remind her of your power!_ The darkness screams as Kenobi descends the ramp toward them. "You're with him!" His dark gaze travels to the Jedi in question, _hating_ him with every fibre of his being. It's all _his_ fault! This is all because of Obi-Wan! The two of them betrayed him together. All along she just used him – played him! Now she's letting Kenobi take away the only family he has – _no!_ "You brought him here to kill me!" The betrayal boils over and it is the hand of Vader, not Anakin, which lifts. It is the durasteel arm that moves, not flesh because even now, in the lowest moment between them, when they've come to kill him, to take _everything_ from him, he cannot bear to hurt her with any part of him that is _real_. The monster within him reaches out through the most monstrous part of him and through the Force, squeezes the air from her throat.

"Let her go Anakin!" He hears Kenobi demand but his eyes don't leave the wide and panicked eyes of his wife as she struggles for breath. It's the strangest sensation, a hand that has teased her, played with her hair, comforted her, undressed her, pleasured her now brings her harm. His jaw sets and his hand tightens as she gasps his name. _How dare she_ look so innocent while she's all but thrust a blade into his chest! " _Let her go!"_ He does not wish to follow any command of Kenobi's but it is as if he's awakened from a deep slumber and the realty of his actions sinks into his mind and at once his hand releases its hold on her. _What has he done?_ Padme gasps as air fills her lungs once more, then her legs crumple beneath her and she falls to the disgusting floor, broken and unconscious. A wave of horror crashes over his body at the sight of her. _He hurt her_ … He has hurt his wife, the woman he loves… And – and the baby! He hurt his baby! A disgusted breath leaves his mouth without his permission as he looks at Obi-Wan who also gazes at Padme. _How dare he look at her! He has no right!_ It's not his fault… He didn't mean it! It's Kenobi's fault – all of it is! He forced him to hurt his wife and baby!

"You turned her against me!" He howls, broken and furious all at once. Despite everything he reaches through the Force and feels Padme's heartbeat… It's weak but it's there. When Kenobi is dealt with he'll take her somewhere safer and get her help. Only after the death of the man who made him hurt her in the first place! Was this what he wanted all along? Was it all part of a grand plan of his? Anakin will not let him win – she is _his_ wife. She does not belong to Kenobi! The Jedi's eyes take their time lingering on her body and he sees red. He'll kill him for this! All of this!

"You have done that yourself." Kenobi is self-righteous as ever he sees. Somethings shall never change no matter what happens. Behind him his cloak billows in the hot breeze – there is no relief from the heat – and he begins to pull it off as he paces, unable to keep still. Never – _never_ – has he been this agitated before. He must keep moving, like a Nexu caged and confined, snarling and eyeing his prey. He'll hurt him, his mind is full of ways to hurt him as he tosses the heavy cloak to the ground. That's what he _wants_ to do… He won't give him a clean death, that's too _easy…_ No, he must suffer first for all he's done. He'll get a taste for the power he's forced him to hold back all these years before his death and regret ever betraying the Chosen One.

"You will not take her from me!" As the furious words fly from his mouth, Anakin isn't sure if the "her" he refers to is Padme, or his little girl… Kenobi already took Padme from him and poisoned her against him – he will not get his hands on his daughter too! _His baby, his child, his heir, his Leia… Obi-Wan won't touch her._ He killed the Jedi to ensure their vile teachings come nowhere near his baby and he isn't afraid to do the same here, now – if anything he's _eager_ to stamp out another so called " _peacekeeper."_ He has a promise to keep to his baby, to keep her safe and as the would be corrupter attempts to lecture him as he has done so many times in the past, Anakin's hand twitches for his lightsaber. He'll keep that promise, tonight and always.

He's loved her from the moment he found out about her and has been desperately waiting her arrival ever since. He'll keep her safe, _always._ And that safety begins here, now, with the death of Kenobi.

Xox

All he knows is pain.

He still feels the first lick of fire kissing his skin, more painful than the combined ache of three limbs sliced from his body… And being engulfed by the flames completely, it's worse than anything he's ever felt. Nothing – no past pain he can think of compares. He still feels the burn even now, after the ordeal is over. His flesh is scorched and ruined… It's all he feels and for a moment or two he thinks he'd rather have death. What is he now? He is different… He feels different and must look different too. Is even human now? Hidden beneath a mask and suit – no true limbs and body in ruins. More machine than man. How much of him was left? Perhaps it would have been a mercy for the Chancellor – the Emperor – to have let him die. No… He cannot die; despite it all there is reason to live still.

The first attempt to speak fails, but instead reveals something… A strange breathing fills the chamber, not his – or is it? He does not feel the intake of air, or feel it leave his lungs in truth he feels little else at all other than the discomfort of his skin. It takes much more effort than he thought it would to open his scorched eyes and it's a relief to find his sight intact, even through the horrendous sensors of the mask that has become a prison for his head. Sight is sight and he shall take what he can get. Where is he? The room is dark and there is a strange mist hovering around him… Some new medical ward of his Master's he assumes.

In and out. In and out. The horrendous breathing is the only sound in the room, and it occurs to him that it _is_ in fact his own… Yet it is not. Whatever sound that is, is not his voice. It's different, foreign… _Mechanical_. Much like the rest of him now. He wants to move, but at the same time he does not ever wish to move again… He must look like a true monster now, something from the nightmares of younglings, the demon who haunts children's stories. It is who he has become.

 _Padme_. She comes into his thoughts suddenly and too quickly for his still recovering mind to comprehend. He doesn't remember it all at first, the last memory he has is leaving her behind in their apartment in Coruscant with promises that everything will be alright. He can make himself content with such a memory until he remembers. What truly happened assaults his mind and forces him to relive it all, the glee, the betrayal… His act of the truest evil – the black rage reaching out, seizing her throat and squeezing – he sees it all play out again and again as a familiar voice beside him asks, "Lord Vader… Can you hear me?"

He can. And yet he cannot. Did his own hearing survive the burning, or is it yet more technology fitted to aid in him that regard too? He can't tell… Though he hears differently than before, so he supposes there are sensors attached to him somewhere. It is as if he doesn't hear at all, but instead the meanings of words filter into his mind and allow him to understand… What else about him has been compromised? His pondering fades in comparison to the newest question that slowly filters into his mind and everything else pales. Is she here? Can she see him like this? Does she think he's a monster too?

Slowly, amongst the sound of the breath that's forced in and out of what remains of his lungs, his head turns, following where the voice came from. The sight of his Master greets him, standing alone and draped in a dark hood. He'd hoped she'd be standing there too, waiting for his recovery… Where is she? Did Kenobi take her? He has to find her and make her see why he did what he did before she's lost to him forever. Or perhaps she's here already; new loyalty borne out of the betrayal when she saw exactly what Kenobi is capable of… _Look at what he did to him_. At least Anakin would have had the mercy to finish an opponent off himself if such a fiery fate awaited them.

"Where is Padme?" A voice that is not his own asks his question for him, and it's startling. Is there anything of him – _truly of him_ – left? There's silence for a moment as he recovers, filled only by the breathing he shall have to get used to. In and out. In and out. "Is she safe? Is she alright?" He hurt her, but perhaps she'll forgive him… He needs her now, needs the soothing voice of his wife, someone he knows, something that is the same. Her reassurance is what he wants to hear now, if she tells him she loves him again, he'll believe her. Can she love him still when he is nothing but a glorified droid? He needs her, where is she?

"It seems," the Emperor begins and then hesitates a moment, and if he were capable at the moment he may have lurched forward and grabbed him. _Where is she?_ Spit it out! If she is not here, then have her brought here… He has to see her. Now more than ever, he longs to see her face even if she may look at him with contempt or even disgust. He'll win her back eventually because he was wrong before – she _does_ love him, doesn't she? In this darkness he needs his angel more he ever has. "In your anger, you killed her."

He has found it already… The pain worse than the lava, than his skin melting off of his bones.

It's not true. It can't be! She's alive, he would know – the moment clear thought was possible again he would have felt it! It's- it's a cruel joke. There is nothing humorous about it… And yet, he does not sense a lie coming from the devil by his side. _No…_ She must be… She _has_ to be… He can't… He can't live without her… All that is Vader clings to him, pulling at him and struggles for dominance. It is a battle he's too weak to fight; does he truly _want_ to fight it?

"I-I couldn't have!" That voice that is not his own comes again, perhaps it is his own now. Perhaps, the voice of Anakin Skywalker is lost forever. "She was alive – I felt it!" He reached out to her, he felt her heartbeat… It was quiet, weak but strong enough to keep her living! Otherwise he would have… Kenobi would have been the _last_ thing on his mind. This is not true – it can't be! His connection the Force is weaker now, the lack of organic limbs is to thank for that, but he surrounds himself with it anyway and reaches out again… He'll feel her presence, he always has! And then he'll know these claims are untrue, it'll be all the proof he needs.

He feels nothing.

Her Force signature is gone, leaving this Galaxy dark and without light. _She's gone_ … The realisation washes over what remains of his body like a cold wave, numbing him even to the pain of the burns and he truly feels _nothing._ Padme… His wife is dead. She's _dead_. And it's the monster by his side's fault, it's Obi-Wan's fault… It's his fault. He killed her. He was on the cusp of having _everything_ and now he is left with nothing. If he were still capable of tears, he thinks he would shed them now. He would howl as his body is racked with sobs… And yet he is denied even this most basic right of mourning. He did it. She wasn't taken from him – _he_ did it. He killed her. He ended her life… All along, everything he did – everything that has led him to this moment was to save her life and he killed her. He was supposed to give her an entire Galaxy and instead he gave her a grave.

"The child?" He asks, imploring his Master for better news. Where is his baby if Padme is gone? Where is she? He doesn't hear the piercing wail of an infant anywhere… Perhaps she's been placed in a makeshift nursery, surrounded by medical droids until he can come for her. Does she have his eyes, or her mother's? He hopes for the latter; the Galaxy needs that constant reminder of Padme though it does not deserve it. He needs that at least… To look into his girl's eyes and see Padme's. He wants to hold her now, and reaffirm those promises of protection… Now more than ever he swears to keep his little girl safe. By the Force… How is he supposed to look into those eyes and tell her why her mother is gone? Will she ever forgive him?

"It passed with its mother I'm afraid."

He says nothing, he does not have to, the screams of the droids around them as his power destroys them are sufficient. They scream in panic as their bodies combust, collapsing in on themselves, medical droids and protocol droids alike, nothing is safe from his wrath. Blood flies everywhere – his blood, the blood of donors, it matter not – splattering onto the floor messily as the lifeless bodies of droids collapse around them. The entire room shakes and trembles as his rage implodes, reaching out and destroying everything within reach without the charred remains of his body moving even once. He has never used the Force like this before… He feels powerful, _unstoppable_ but it doesn't matter. Nothing matters! His wife is _dead_ , his baby is _dead_ , and he killed them both… His power was supposed to save them but instead it took them both from him… Padme loved him though he could not see it in those final moments between them, and the baby… His little girl never got to _live._ She never had a first breath, or opened her eyes to take in the world around her. He robbed of from her. Damn him to the lowest pits Sith hell!

He is not sure whether his mouth opens at all but a loud, howling scream somehow leaves him as the last of the droids are destroyed. His family is dead. _Dead!_ And he has been left with nothing – he was not even with her in her last moments. Was she afraid or in pain? Did she – did she die hating him? He broke his promise; he swore he'd keep their baby safe… And she's dead. By his hand no less… His sweet little girl, gone from this world before she had her chance to join it. And Padme… Padme… Force forgive him.

In that moment he loses the battle and the cold numbness remains as all that is Anakin Skywalker crumbles and dies around him, _Vader_ rises – he truly rises this time – and he _lives_. He possesses the body that belonged to the Chosen One and he makes it his own, it _is_ his own now. Perhaps it has always been and Skywalker merely fooled himself into believing otherwise. Vader is strong where Skywalker was not, he feels nothing where Skywalker felt too much. Anakin Skywalker died on the black beach of Mustafar, engulfed by flames – a punishment for his weakness in allowing Kenobi to defeat him. Vader lives and he cares for nothing and nobody.

There is nobody left to care for. Skywalker saw to that himself.

Xox

He _hates_ her.

Every moment he must endure looking into the smug face of Organa's girl – the Princess of Alderaan – the more Vader despises the girl. Before, there'd been something of a respect for her when she resisted his IT-O Interrogator, he's seen men many years her senior fall to their knees and cry for mercy under its probing but the girl is _strong_. Stronger than he would have ever thought. However any respect has been stamped out in favour of malice. She's a traitor, she's working to undermine everything his Master plans and… She is everything Skywalker's girl should have been. Dark haired, brown eyes… A young woman respected by most around her whether they like her or not.

And she's called _Leia_.

Vader has long since stopped looking for justice in this Galaxy – _there is none –_ and begun instead thriving in the injustices of it… There are plenty more after all. That this girl stands before him now, exactly as she is with that name... It is the greatest injustice he's ever known. More so than any slaughter he has seem, any genocide or crime. How is it a snivelling whelp like Organa manages to get a girl on his barren wife and she becomes everything Skywalker wanted? A punishment perhaps? Or a reminder… Skywalker was weak. He was useless. He'd have thrown everything away for his girl – _everything_. Seeing what might have been standing before him now reaffirms all that.

He leans closer to the captured Princess and sees the flicker of fear she attempts to hide… Yes… Skywalker wanted the daughter, Vader wants the _power._ And he has it… He is more powerful than any Jedi could imagine, he enjoys their fear when he finds them, lives for those first few moments where he towers above them and _feels_ their fear spike. _If only they knew…_ They looked down at Skywalker as though he were lesser, weaker – _insignificant_ – and now Vader makes them scream and cry for mercy.

There is no mercy.

Later, when he holds the trembling girl's shoulder as she watches the Death Star do its good work and Alderaan is destroyed before their very eyes, he feels the injustice has been righted at last. Who was Organa to take the name Skywalker wanted for his own girl? Who was he to have everything Skywalker could not? Now he is dead and Vader lives – and has Organa's girl in his custody – all is how it should be. Yet still, a small part of him wonders, would his Leia have been friends with this one? What a pair they'd make… The imaginings stir old memories, long suppressed, of a Queen and her decoy – so similar in looks that few could tell them apart. The moment _her_ face flashes into his mind, Vader pushes it away. He will not tolerate such thoughts, they're not his… They only weaken him to the dark side. He does not want them.

The girl is led off while they prepare for her execution and though they are his Master's Orders, Vader finds himself wondering, if there is yet another injustice somewhere in allowing the death of a second Leia. The thought is an errant one and quickly destroyed and forgotten. Vader feels nothing for this girl. No mercy. Her death has been brought about by her own treason and his Master is eager to have done with it. To make an example of her to the other Senators. Her voice in the Imperial Senate is too loud; too righteous while she talks about what is _good,_ what is right, secretly bringing others around to her cause. She reminds him of _her_ again, but once more any such thoughts of the past are quickly pushed away. Yet the reminder is there and it is not easily forgotten.

Vader truly hates this girl.

Xox

He stands looking out at the stars surrounding them, for once unable to escape any thoughts his mind sees fit to throw at him as he waits. Normally he'd send his black rage forth and strangle any who keep him waiting like this without a second thought however these are… Special circumstances. He will allow the bounty hunter a little time to bring him what he wants. The boy… He is… He is strong. The Force is powerful around him, he has great potential. Anyone capable of destroying the Death Star as he did… Vader wishes to interrogate him personally. He will understand where this potential comes from. Is he a Jedi? If so, he shall perish like the others…

He was with Kenobi. Perhaps the old man took another apprentice in his seclusion? The boy certainly has the potential to draw in a vulture like him… Kenobi has always fed off the powers of others; Vader knows first-hand. To watch his former Master fall at last by his hand… The _power_ of it… It's exactly what he's been waiting for all these years. He'd wanted to draw it out, make him suffer the way Skywalker suffered laying abandoned the black sand on Mustafar… Let him know what it felt like to _burn._ Alas there was no opportunity for such things. Kenobi is dead. At last the traitor is fallen and gone forever… And yet whatever victory he wishes to feel is dampened by this boy. This mystery boy who managed to swipe the former Princess from their grasp and destroy their prized weapon... There is certainly… Something about him. Something that tingles with familiarity, yet it's just beyond Vader's reach, something he cannot grasp. Where did Kenobi find him?

He senses the arrival of the bounty hunter the moment his ship decks in the hangerbay, yet remains exactly where he is. Vader does not _greet_ others upon their arrival. They come to him. And the bounty hunter will come, and if he enjoys the ability to breathe he shall bring him something of importance. He doesn't have the boy as commanded, but he expects nothing less. This boy will certainly be… Interesting to learn about. He wants the secrets surrounding him and this power of his. If he cannot have the boy in person he shall settle for a name, or perhaps if he feels generous upon the Fett's arrival, will even settle for a location of birth. Perhaps he is an agent of the fallen Alderaan, and this is his revenge…

No. He did not sense revenge in the boy's actions, not even for Kenobi. Then what… He shall enjoy finding out.

It takes the bounty hunter less time than he expected to approach him, this is well done. Vader does not enjoy wasting time on something as trivial as waiting – especially for a lesser being. The man waits, as if he shall turn around and humour him… He might have, if he'd been able to bring the boy along. Alas he failed in that regard, and shall be treated as such. A failure. He is lucky it he rather than the Emperor waiting here for him… Vader is far more… Forgiving than his Master. If he is lucky, Fett shall leave this encounter unpunished – if he has something of use.

"I lost him." He admits at last, and despite all the bravado, the stories of the ruthlessness of the man standing behind him, Vader feels the flicker of fear. Good, he should be afraid. Very much afraid. Not many bounty hunters are offered the same opportunities as this one, and certainly not the credits, he'd best make the most of it and have something worth his time. At least he's honest. Many would have spun lie after lie – attempting to pin the failure on someone else's shoulders. If he'd sensed such dishonesty he'd have ended his life with a snap of his fingers.

"That is most disappointing." Of all his hired help, this one has proven most… Useful. Shame his failure – his first failure – comes now when the fruits of his success are so necessary. There is silence. It stretches long minutes and he senses the man is waiting again, for punishment or permission to continue, Vader is not sure. He gives neither. There is only the cold, mechanical breathing that has become his constant companion. And then, at last, he grows tired of this game and speaks. "Did you bring me _anything_ of value bounty hunter?"

Silence again, though it spans only a moment or two. It feels much, much longer. "Not much, only a name." A name? Good… Names are almost as useful as the actual person. Once he has a name, he can make empty promises to bounty hunters across the Empire… They'll bring the boy in far faster than his incompetent troopers. Clones always were far more useful. Well, he thinks, spit it out. The sooner he knows, the sooner he can have the boy brought to his Master. He is very eager to meet this new hero of the Rebel Alliance. Especially if he is truly as powerful as it seems. How much has Kenobi taught him?

Then the bounty hunter utters a single word that may as well have torn the known universe apart before their very eyes. One word with the power to change all he has believed for so many years – too many years. A single word, a single name so Galaxy shifting and revealing that despite his outer calm, Vader reels. One name means it was a lie… All of it was a lie. A name he never thought he'd hear uttered aloud again, much less in such context. A word he's equal parts shocked and sickened and strangely happy to hear.

"Skywalker."

There is silence again as he attempts not to shake. How is it possible? It _cannot_ be possible, he would have known… All this time he would have known, he would have sensed it. His connection to the Force is weakened, but not so weakened that he would not sense something as life altering as this… It's a lie! It _must_ be! And yet… As he searches the Force for the truth, Vader feels it. It's no lie. The boy lives, he is out there – mourning Kenobi no doubt. Does he know? There was certainly no sign of such knowledge from him in the few moments he saw him.

One bright truth leads his mind to a terrible lie – something he has believed like a fool for so many years… Padme lived. Long enough to birth their child at least, she _was_ alive after Mustafar it means… It means he didn't kill her! Was his Master mistaken? Confused? The Force around him tells him no – he knew. He knew she lived, but perhaps not about the birth. One lie is enough. _That_ lie is enough. How did she die? His visions come true? Most likely.

His Master may not have known everything, but he knew enough to ease him of the burden of guilt he has carried on his shoulders and yet he left him to struggle. The only loyalty between them is his own, there is nothing mutual. _Liar! He's a liar!_ To be Sith, is to know treachery. The Emperor shall pay for his. Vader shall see to it… One way or another he shall have his revenge; though he must be careful. Must keep himself calm and play the part and play it well if the revenge he wants is to come to fruition. Behind him, the bounty hunter mutters something and leaves, though he pays the man no mind. He is insignificant in the grand scheme of things now… When he is alone once more, looking out at the stars of the system the words at last are free to leave his mouth.

"I have a son…"

" _I already know… It's a boy."_

" _With a kick that hard?... Definitely a girl."_

He hears the echo of their voices as if the spirt of what has been reenacts the scene behind him – perhaps it does, but he cannot bear to turn around and see for himself. The vision of her, so full with child torments him suddenly, too quickly to fight as that lazy evening together comes back into his mind. Memories so long suppressed burst to life quicker than he can smother them and Vader becomes their victim at last. All this time – all that time then – he thought it was a girl… He'd been so sure. What a surprise it would have been.

What a surprise it is.

So, she was right all along… A son. Their son. A Skywalker in this world once more… No wonder Kenobi sniffed the boy out. Boy or no boy, Skywalker – Vader – made a promise and now more than ever he is determined to keep it. He promised his child, his boy apparently, the Galaxy and he intends to deliver. The Emperor kept them apart knowingly or not, it is his fault and he will pay for it. And once he is gone, the boy, this Skywalker boy can join him as his mother would not, and together everything shall be set right once more. One last glance around the stars and he sets his shoulders. There is work to be done.

There is a son to find.


End file.
